Govt to Keep Info on Americans With No Terror Ties

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. intelligence community will now be able to store information about Americans with no ties to terrorism for up to five years under new Obama administration guidelines.

Until now, the National Counterterrorism Center had to immediately destroy information about Americans that was already stored in other government databases when there were no clear ties to terrorism.

Giving the NCTC expanded record-retention authority had been called for by members of Congress who said the intelligence community did not connect strands of intelligence held by multiple agencies leading up to the failed bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas 2009.

"Following the failed terrorist attack in December 2009, representatives of the counterterrorism community concluded it is vital for NCTC to be provided with a variety of datasets from various agencies that contain terrorism information," Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in a statement late Thursday. "The ability to search against these datasets for up to five years on a continuing basis as these updated guidelines permit will enable NCTC to accomplish its mission more practically and effectively."

More

School’s Black History Month ‘Animal Attire’ Letter Causing an Uproar

A spokeswoman for an elementary school in North Carolina has apologized for a "poorly worded" letter sent to parents in February, which suggested the students wear "animal print" clothing in honor of Black History Month.

WSOCTV reports that the Western Union Elementary School in North Carolina's Union County sent the letter, which also suggested dressing in "African-American attire," in celebration of the school's Feb. 28 Black History Day. The letter was published online by the LGBT rights blogUnicornBooty.com.

"While it was well-intended, it was poorly worded," Union County Public Schools' Chief Communications Officer Luan Ingram said in a statement. "We are reminding all of our principals to be very sensitive in word choices when communicating with parents concerning different ethnic groups and cultures that make up our world."

More

Al Jazeera Joins Forces With Media Matters and ThinkProgress

Media Matters, the Soros-funded Obama administration propaganda arm, claims that its prime mission is to correct “conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.” Presumably as part of its self-righteous campaign against conservative misinformation, Media Matters decided to team up with the anti-Semitic, anti-American news outlet Al Jazeera, a corrupt media outfit owned and financed by an authoritarian Arab regime that forbids freedom of the press in its own country. Then again, intellectual honesty and truly unbiased journalistic professionalism were never part of Media Matters’ mission statement.

Al-Jazeera’s problem is not its political stance. It is entitled to that. Its problem is that it has dealt a blow to every genuine attempt to build strong and reasonably independent Arab media. The channel will allow no discussion of what has become of it, and has taken us back to the days of the ‘no voice rises above the sound of the battle’ media. It casts aspersions on the motives of anyone one who criticizes it, defends fatal mistakes with feigned naivete, and at the same time refuses to concede that its ‘logical justification’ for what is happening today is: “we are implementing the policy of our funder, period.”
More

Blind Dog Living in a Trash Pile Gets Rescued

We've shared a lot of dog rescues, but this one may be the most heartwarming and amazing outcome yet. When you see Fiona in the trash, your heart will break...but just wait til the end. You'll love it.

Watch the video Here

Egypt Designates Israel Its Top Enemy — Obama Restores Military Aid

Egypt’s parliament, which is dominated by two pro-Sharia Islamic supremacist groups, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists, voted unanimously last Monday to expel Israel’s ambassador to Egypt, and signaled that the Camp David Accords would soon be a thing of the past: Egypt, the parliamentarians declared, would “never” be Israel’s ally. In fact, Israel was Egypt’s “number one enemy.” And how did Barack Obama respond to this egregious trampling upon the agreement that has kept an uneasy peace between Israel and Egypt for thirty years? By announcing a resumption of military aid to Egypt.

From the beginning of the “Arab Spring,” I said repeatedly that it was not a democracy movement, as the Western press was claiming, but an Islamic supremacist takeover that would result in the creation of Sharia states that would be far more hostile to the U.S. and Israel than the Arab nationalist regimes they were supplanting. This assessment was greeted with the usual scorn: the Islamic supremacist media machine charged “Islamophobia,” on Fox Juan Williams said I was “fearmongering,” and the usual suspects made the usual ad hominem attacks. Yet everything that has happened since then has shown that the “Arab Spring” is indeed an Islamic supremacist winter, ushering in repressive Sharia regimes with the enthusiastic blessing of Barack Obama.
More

Feds Consider Closing up to 60 Court Sites

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The federal government is considering closing up to 60 court sites across the country, many located in small, rural communities, as part of an effort to cut costs.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show federal court facilities in 29 states could be on the chopping block. Many of the sites are in remote areas and critics say closing them could make it more difficult for people to get to court proceedings.

Six of the 60 court sites that could be closed are located in Arkansas. Texas and Georgia each have five courts on the list of possible closures. Officials are even considering shuttering the location where judges hold federal court in Alaska’s capital city, Juneau.

There are 674 federal courthouses and facilities around the country, according to David Sellers, a federal courts spokesman. The 60 sites being considered for closure do not have a resident judge. Instead, judges based in larger cities travel to these smaller locations as needed.

More

House Approves Suspension Of Child Support Payments For Inmates

The House of Delegates narrowly passed a bill on Wednesday that would exclude individuals from making child support payments while serving a prison sentence. Under the legislation, child support payments would be suspended for anyone incarcerated for more than 18 consecutive months and continuing 60 days after their release to avoid the accrual of an unmanageable lump sum.

More

DNC Debbie’s Islamist Lie

The day after an investigative piece we had written exposing the fact that Congresswoman and DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was going to give the Keynote Address at an upcoming radical Muslim fundraiser, Wasserman Schultz cancelled her speech. Her office claimed that she had never agreed to do the event in the first place, but a newly released statement from the Islamist group’s leader proves that that was not true.

According to announcements which were placed on the website of EMERGE USA last month, Debbie Wasserman Schultz had been scheduled to give the Keynote Address at the group’s annual fundraising banquet, which was to be held in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, at the Marriott Fort Lauderdale North, on April 21st.

This, as was pointed out in our article, ‘Debbie Wasserman Schultz Empowers a Radical Muslim Fundraiser,’ was troubling, because, while EMERGE USA’s name sounds innocuous if not entirely patriotic, the group’s leadership consists of persons who spread bigotry against non-Muslims and who actively support terror-related individuals and organizations who target America and Israel.

More

Proposal To Triple Film Tax Credit Would Bring More Jobs And Prominence To Maryland, Supporters Say

Tripling the annual amount of the state’s tax credit for film production will create thousands of jobs and add tens of millions to the local economy, supporters of a bill to increase the tax credit to $22.5 million told a Senate committee Wednesday.

More

National Zoo Outsources Food Services to Sodexo

WASHINGTON — The National Zoo has awarded a 10-year contract to Sodexo Inc. to upgrade concession stands into a food court and restaurant space and serve food in more locations.

Under the contract announced Thursday, officials say Gaithersburg-based Sodexo will invest several million dollars to upgrade the dining facilities. Plans call for an upscale food court and new outdoor café.

Changes will be made over two years beginning in April. Sodexo plans to serve food at 22 locations, focusing on healthy, sustainable options.

Zoo Director Dennis Kelly says upgrades will generate increased revenue to support the zoo. The nonprofit Friends of the National Zoo operates the existing concession stands. Current employees can apply for jobs with Sodexo.

Sodexo runs food businesses for zoos and aquariums in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago and elsewhere.

Source

Harry Potter Star Jailed For Two Years For Violent Disorder During London Riots

Jamie Waylett, who played Hogwarts bully Vincent Crabbe, also admitted swigging from a stolen bottle of champagne

A star of the Harry Potter films has been sentenced to two years in prison for being part of a violent mob which took to the streets during last summer's riots in London.

Jamie Waylett, 22, who played Hogwarts bully Vincent Crabbe in six of the films, was found guilty of violent disorder on Tuesday.

The jury at London's Wood Green crown court took three-and-a-half hours to reach their verdicts.

More

Maryland to Add 667 Area Code This Weekend

BALTIMORE (AP) - Maryland will soon be getting a new 667 area code.

The Public Service Commission has said that the new code is needed because the remaining numbers in the 410 and 443 area codes were expected to be exhausted by early this year.

The 667 area code will be launched on Saturday. Customers in central Maryland and the Eastern Shore requesting a new phone number may get the new area code.

Customers with existing 410 and 443 telephone numbers will not be affected.

The new area code is expected to create an additional 8 million numbers.

Source

NBA Bloopers: 1st Half Of 2011-12 Season

LOS ANGELES PASSES RESOLUTION AGAINST ‘INTOLERABLE’ RADIO SPEECH

The Los Angeles City Council has passed a resolution condemning speech on radio that some may find “intolerable.”

According to the local CBS station in L.A., Councilmember Jan Perry “introduced legislation this week that would call upon media companies to ensure ‘on-air hosts do not use and promote racist and sexist slurs’ on radio and other broadcasts.”

The resolution, which the L.A. Times notes is only a “symbolic” move, passed 13-2.

“It’s exactly appropriate for this council to speak up against the vile things we hear on the airwaves,” Councilman Paul Krekorian told the Times. According to him, he doesn’t want to see free speech stifled, but rather is looking “to seek a greater consensus on what is appropriate speech and to reject what is not.” [Quote is referring to the Times' paraphrase -- it is not Krekorian's exact words]

More

'Rush Limbaugh Show' Responds To Brock

David Brock is so outraged at Rush Limbaugh’s words of three weeks ago that he started organizing a protest — almost 3 years ago.

It was planned ahead and activated at the first moment Brock could manipulate a media frenzy. Make no mistake, Brock’s “marketplace of ideas” offers only one brand: Brand Brock. All others will be forced off the shelves with intimidation and lies.

More

Fredericksburg Man Arrested for Allegedly Pointing his Finger at Two Detectives

A threatening finger point landed a father in jail.

The Fredericksburg man says he didn't point his finger at police officers, but he still faces two felony charges.

David Loveless is accused of pointing his finger like a gun at two Fredricksburg detectives. Tuesday night police arrested and handcuffed him and drove him off to jail.

He says he never pointed his finger at anyone.

"He made a gesture with his hand," says Natatia Bledsoe, a spokesperson for the Fredricksburg Police.

More

Time To Take Our Medicine, Bring On The Foreclosures Says Jim The Realtor

Maxine

For Government: No limits

Are there no limits on government’s power, no place where it cannot go?

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a former (thankfully) Republican, but in name only, has decided to limit food donations to city charities, including homeless shelters, because the government is unable to measure the nutritional value of the food.

Who in city government believes that a homeless person with no access to money other than what he or she might panhandle cares about the nutritional content of food? If they are able to scrounge up a few bucks on the streets, does anyone seriously think they’re headed to a grocery store to buy carrots and arugula? Any food, including “unhealthy” fast food would be their preferred choice.

More

Report: Baltimore Source of Most Toxic Releases

A new report says industrial facilities dumped 1.4 million pounds of toxic chemicals into Maryland waterways in 2010, mostly in the Baltimore area.

The report was released Thursday by Environment Maryland, which said it obtained the figures from Environmental Protection Agency reports.

The report says 98 percent of the releases were in the Baltimore area, particularly Curtis Creek on the Baltimore-Anne Arundel County border.

The chemicals include arsenic, mercury and benzene, which the environmental group says have been linked to cancer and developmental and reproductive disorders. The report calls on industrial facilities to switch to safer alternatives and for tougher permitting and enforcement by federal and state environmental regulators.

Source

ObamaCare Still A Disaster — No Matter How The Supreme Court Decides

“I am a refugee,” my anesthesiologist told me after I had awakened from my third surgery in 12 years — one to repair a muscle tear in my left shoulder and two for the same disc in my lower back. “I am part of the British ‘brain drain’ of the late ’60s. Doctors could not make any money. So I left.” Britain’s loss, my gain. The same surgery 12 years ago required a two-day stay in a hospital. Last week, after a two-hour surgery, I left the same day as an outpatient.

But under ObamaCare, we can expect a loss of talent and a decline in quality of care. Thousands of us, the doctor explained, abandoned England to practice medicine in America. “So, how’s this?” my doctor said. “I left the U.K. to get away from the government telling me how to practice, what to charge — and now we are getting the same thing. ObamaCare stinks, and the people will regret it. What happened to the docs there will happen here.”

Great Britain began practicing socialized medicine through the taxpayer-funded National Health Services in 1948. And indeed, one of the first U.K. studies on the emigration of their native-born physicians, “British Doctors at Home and Abroad,” published in 1964, noted that, beginning in the 1950s, their docs were leaving for “high-income” countries at an alarming rate: “Many of them stressed the wider field of work they could undertake in general practice abroad and criticized the limited role of the general practitioner in England.” And nearly half a century later, Britain’s “brain drain” continues.

More

Barack 'Captain America' Obama

This is posted on the official Barack Obama reelection campaign Tumblr page.
What do you think?

Broken Toilets Leave United Passengers Stranded In Alaska For Two Days

A United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Shanghai had to make a two-day pit stop in Anchorage, Alaska, after it was discovered that some of the jet's toilets weren't functioning properly.

More

Supreme Court: Lawyers Must Do a Good Job on Plea Deals

WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Wednesday laid out new standards for criminal plea bargains, saying defense lawyers must do a competent job advising and informing their clients of prosecutors’ offers of less prison time for convictions and guilty pleas.

Justice Antonin Scalia, in a rare move, dissented aloud from the bench, calling the decisions “absurd” and warning courts would be flooded with appeals from criminals now claiming their plea bargain rights were violated, despite the fact that there is no legal right to a plea bargain.

“The court today embraces the sporting chance theory of criminal law, in which the state functions like a conscientious casino operator, giving each player a fair chance to beat the house, that is, serve less time than the law says he deserves. And when a player is excluded from the tables, his constitutional rights have been violated,” Scalia said. “I do not subscribe to that theory. No one should, least of all justices of the Supreme Court.”

More

Safeway To Stop Selling Ground Beef That Contains "Pink Slime"

It's been a bad year for "lean finely textured beef," better known by the less-tasty moniker "pink slime." The ammonia-treated beef trimmings that have been used as ground beef filler for decades is quickly becoming a pariah at U.S. grocery stores like Safeway, which has announced it will no longer sell the stuff.

More

REPORT: EIGHTH GRADERS IN VIRGINIA ASSIGNED TO CONDUCT OPPOSITION RESEARCH ON GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Students at a Virginia middle school were assigned to conduct opposition research on the GOP presidential contenders and pass their findings along to President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, according to a report in the Daily Caller.

Eighth graders in Liberty Middle School teacher Michael Denman’s class were reportedly instructed to “research the backgrounds and positions of each of the GOP candidates for president and find weaknesses in them.” From there, they were assigned to write a “strategy paper to exploit those weaknesses and then to send their suggestions to the Obama campaign.”

“This assignment was just creepy beyond belief — like something out of East Germany during the Cold War,” one father at the Fairfax, Va. school told the Daily Caller.

More

Connecticut Demands Sales Tax From Scholastic Book Club & Its Teacher Accomplices

Those no good, book-spreading fat cats over at Scholastic Book Club are finally getting their just desserts from the state of Connecticut, along with their nefarious teacher accomplices, who encourage kids to buy and read books. The state's Supreme Court ruled the Missouri-based company must pay Connecticut sales tax.

More

57 Percent of Americans Want Keystone Pipeline

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A solid majority of Americans think the U.S. government should approve of building the Keystone XL pipeline, while 29% think it should not. Republicans are almost twice as likely as Democrats to want the government to approve the oil pipeline. About half of independents also approve

These data were collected as part of Gallup's annual Environment survey, conducted March 8-11, 2012. The Keystone XL oil pipeline is a politically divisive project, which President Obama and the Republicans in Congress have been battling over. The proposal from TransCanada Corporation for building a pipeline to carry crude oil from Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico, first made in 2005, needs approval from the U.S. president because it crosses an international border. The Republicans in Congress inserted a provision on the pipeline in the payroll tax extension bill late last year, but in January, President Obama rejected TransCanada's permit entirely. However, the administration is allowing TransCanada to reapply for the permit it needs.

The pipeline would travel through the Midwest and the South, and Americans in those two regions are the most likely to approve of the project. Nearly 7 in 10 Midwesterners want the government to approve the building of the pipeline and 61% of those in the South do as well. There has been discussion in Washington and in the media about the potential new jobs the pipeline project would create, which may partly explain the higher support seen in those regions. Americans in the West and East are less likely to approve.

More

On Its Second Birthday, Obamacare Is [finally] Cracking Down On Insurance Premiums

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law March 23, 2010. After a flurry of new consumer protections later that year, such as allowing young adults to stay on their parents' plans until age 26, it may seem that not much has been happening lately. But behind the scenes, the law has begun targeting excessive health insurance premiums. Consumers will be seeing more and more of the consequences of this over the coming year. To wit:

More

Sponsor Of Arizona's "Why Are You On Birth Control?" Bill Amending It

The state representative who was sponsoring a bill that would let employers ask why female employees are on the pill, and then decide whether or not they'd pay for it based on the answer, says she's doing a bit of amending. She's claiming we all just misunderstood the controversial parts. Oh, of course.

More

'Immigration Order' Comforts Latino Community

Order Seeks To Prevent Discrimination By Police, Other Agencies

BALTIMORE -- An executive order prohibits Baltimore City agencies from asking about a person's immigration status, the mayor told a gathering of the city's Latino community Thursday night.

Mayor Stephanie Rawling-Blake presented her newly-signed executive order before a crowd that packed the Enoch-Pratt Library in southeast Baltimore. Rawlings-Blake answered questions about the order and listened to community members tell stories about their experiences with police officers.

More

Guess Who Turns 50 Today?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!!

What's That Noise? Protesters Honking Horns

Protesters against increased and additional taxes in Maryland drive through Annapolis, hoking their horns against taxes. Some get tickets.

Video Here

Soldiers Vulnerable To Late, Inaccurate Pay, GAO Says

The Government Accountability Office says that even while the Army has made some strides toward improving its pay practices, the service is a long way off from the kind of data integrity independent experts would need to see in order to green light the systems as audit-ready.

More

State Department Assessing Fire Damage From Tuesday Morning

Repairs crews are still on site assessing the damage at a State Department complex after a fire Tuesday morning. A number of offices have been temporarily displaced, but most employees will be able to return to work this morning. The fire took broke out on the fifth floor of a the Low-Rise complex in Colombia Plaza on the George Washington University campus. Workers should call their supervisors about their work status. A daycare in that building has also reopened. The fire broke out around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, setting off the sprinkler system and causing significant water damage.

FedEx To Pay Out $3 Million in Fines

FedEx will pay to settle claims that it broke contracting rules about discrimination. The shipping giant will dole out $3 million in back wages. The money will go to 22,000 people rejected for entry-level jobs in 15 states. FedEx also agreed to internal reforms aimed at preventing discrimination. That included new equal opportunity training and self-monitoring for compliance. The effected workers included African-Americans, Caucasians and Native Americans

FARRAKHAN TWEETS: ‘WHERE THERE IS NO JUSTICE, THERE WILL BE NO PEACE…LAW OF RETALIATION MAY…BE APPLIED’

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has been among the vocal voices weighing in on calls for justice for Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old who was gunned down last month while walking home in Sanford, Florida. On Wednesday, a march was held in New York City in support of the teen’s family, as federal and local authorities launch investigations into how the incident unfolded and why the state’s “stand your ground” law applied to the shooter in this case.

On Twitter yesterday and today, Farrakhan sent some curious tweets regarding peace, justice and retaliation that could be interpreted as a veiled threat.

More

Census Bureau To Drop More Than 200 Employees

The Census Bureau is about to see its population of employees drop as 206 employees at the bureau's headquarters have applied for a $25,000 buyout. The agency announced last month its offer of early retirement and up to 400 separation payments for employees who retire between Feb. 29 and April 3. Find more on which offices qualify for a buyout at our government-wide buyout guide.

How Federal Employees Are Paid

Federal employees with Asian backgrounds were the highest paid people under the General Schedule. Blacks, American Indians and natives of Alaska and Hawaii were the lowest paid. The most recent figures from the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission showed average salaries correlated with race and ethnicity. On average, Asian employees earned about $53,000. The other groups were slightly below the average for all employees at about $43,000. In between were white and Latino employees, who averaged around $50,000.

Senate Passes Small Business Investment Bill

The Senate passed a small business investment bill that would help startup companies raise capital by reducing some federal regulations. The bill combines six smaller bills that change Securities and Exchange Commission rules so small businesses can attract investors and go public with less red tape and cost. Senate Democrats did pass one amendment to increase investor protections, so the bill goes back to the House for another vote. The bill has rare bipartisan support. The House approved it two weeks ago. President Obama said he will sign it.

MINNESOTA MAN THROWN IN JAIL FOR…FAILING TO PUT UP SIDING ON HIS HOME

A Minnesota man was arrested and thrown in jail — all because city officials said he had not properly put up siding on his house.

Officials in Burnsville, Minn. cited Mitch Faber with “having an unfinished exterior” when, nearly four years after he started it, his home’s stucco project was not complete, Fox News reported.

Faber told Minneapolis ABC affiliate KSTP-TV he always intended to finish the project, but that he ran into financial trouble when the economy took a turn.

More

Innocent Man's Life Destroyed By Anonymous Topix Poster

In Blairsville, Ga., as in most American towns, gossip is dished out with the daily special at the local diner. But now there's a new forum called Topix that spreads gossip as fast as the Internet connection allows. And unlike the diner, where you know the person you're talking to, Topix uses only screen names.

The combination of small-town familiarity -- everyone knows each other -- anonymity and instant dissemination compounds the impact when gossip is aimed at a neighbor or small business. Words on a web page -- permanent, searchable and bearing the authority of the (digitally) printed word -- are different from hearsay that can be forgotten or laughed off. They can ruin someone's life.

Ask Gene Cooley. Cooley grew up in and around Blairsville. In 2008 he was living in town, a divorced father of two young boys who was holding down a job as a hair stylist.

He had been given a second chance at love. He was engaged to Paulette Harper, who, together with her daughter, was getting ready to start a new life with Cooley.

"She was a wonderful girl," Cooley said in an interview with "20/20" Anchor Chris Cuomo. "She had a beautiful heart, a beautiful soul."

Yet before their new life could begin, Harper's ex took it all away.

More

House Committee Narrowly Approves GOP Budget Plan

The House Budget Committee approved the Republican proposal that calls for cutting $5.3 trillion from President Barack Obama's budget over the coming decade, including sweeping cuts to federal health care programs and social programs aimed at the poor. The GOP plan is nonbinding but calls for repealing Obama's health care law, while transforming Medicare into a system in which the government subsidizes purchases of health insurance on the private market instead of directly paying medical bills.

More

5 Reasons That Shouting “Racism” Doesn’t Work Anymore

Because of slavery (Democrats did it), KKK violence (Democrats did it), segregation (Democrats did it), Jim Crow laws (Democrats did it) and other historic abuses heaped on black Americans in our country by the Democratic Party and its supporters, America has been a bit oversensitive about race for the last few decades. Of course, the political party responsible for all of that racism is now the one shouting, “You’re a racist,” and trying to pit different racial groups against each other. That might seem ironic at first glance, but if you think about it, it’s actually par for the course. Since its founding, the Democratic Party has always tried to generate racial strife; it just uses a little different strategy today than it did in the past. Unfortunately for Democrats, the race card just doesn’t work as well as it did in the good old days. There was a time when a condemnation by Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton produced actual fear as opposed to eye rolls and laughter. It wasn’t so long ago that being called racist was a threat, as opposed to just being more of an annoyance today. That has only changed in the last few years for a few select reasons.

1) Barack Obama won the presidency. Like him or not, Barack Obama’s election was a historic moment. He turned out to be the Jackie Robinson of the American presidency. Unfortunately, this time around, Jackie Robinson hit .162, couldn’t field, and spent way too much time golfing and speechifying instead of doing his job. Still, it was a historic moment. For the first time, the leader of the free world was black. Fifty years ago, during the civil rights era, that would have been unthinkable. So, the moment Obama was elected, people started asking the obvious question, “How serious of a problem can racism still be in the United States if a black man can be elected President?” The honest answer to that question is, “Not very.”

More

Unemployment aid applications hit 4-year low

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid fell to a four-year low last week, bolstering the view that the job market is strengthening.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications dropped 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 348,000. That’s the lowest level since March 2008, just months into the Great Recession. The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, dipped to 355,000, matching a four-year low.

Applications have steadily declined since last fall. The drop has coincided with the best three months of hiring in two years. From December through February, employers added an average of 245,000 jobs per month. That’s pushed down the unemployment rate to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years.

More

The Invisible Poverty Of "The Other America" Of The 1960s Is Far More Visible Today

Fifty years ago (in March 1962) Michael Harrington wrote a book, "The Other America: Poverty in the United States" - a haunting tour of deprivation in an affluent society - that inspired Presidents Kennedy and Johnson to wage a war on poverty. This slim, 186-page volume became a best-seller and became required reading for social scientists, elected officials, college students, members of study groups sponsored by churches and synagogues, reporters and intellectuals, the new wave of community organizers and the student activists who traveled to the South to join the civil rights crusade. Harrington was soon in great demand as a speaker on college campuses, union halls and religious congregations. Reporters and television talk-show hosts wanted to interview him.

Harrington wrote that the poor were invisible to most Americans because they lived in rural isolation or in urban slums. Once they become aware of the situation, Americans should be ashamed to live in a rich society with so many poor people.

"The fate of the poor," he concluded, "hangs upon the decision of the better-off. If this anger and shame are not forthcoming, someone can write a book about the other America a generation from now and it will be the same or worse."

More

Police State Blues

At mid-evening, on Saturday, March 17, upon the six-month anniversary of the occupation of Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan, the NYPD initiated another brutal operation to expel OWS activists from the premises, and to discourage, in general, those who might venture attempts to exercise their right to free assembly and free expression across the whole of the city of New York as winter proceeds into spring.

After all, the NYPD suffered no ill consequences from its search-and-destroy mission launched in the late fall of 2011 to scour the park, renamed Liberty Square, of liberty.

In a police state, unjust actions by authoritarian bullies, operating at the behest of privileged bullies in power, act by caprice and will escalate their level of brutality by the degree that the public at large reacts with support and indifference to the state’s assaults on civil liberties and common decency.

Bear in mind, police agencies, devoid of meaningful oversight, comprise a legal form of gang activity; therefore, when one is witness to their acts of brutality, and, as outraged protesters are apt to do, shower their ranks with taunts of “shame, shame, shame” — rather than experiencing feelings of remorse, brutish individual officers regard the scolding as a badge of honor.

More

Obamacare Causes State To Demand Cancer Free 9 Year Old Be Given Possible Cancer Causing Drug Treatment

Imagine yourself as the homeschool parent of a young son who is diagnosed with cancer. Your emotions run a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. Your son undergoes treatment and your heart is nearly wrenched out of you as you watch him react to the treatments.

Eventually your son appears to be cancer free. Scans are made that reveal no trace of the cancer that had once threatened him. Over the course of the next year, he has had three scans and none of them detect any cancer. At age nine, your son is cancer free and you rejoice and thank God for healing him.

Then suddenly, your world is dashed to pieces when the state health officials demand that you start another aggressive round of chemotherapy. You become exasperated trying to convince them that he is cancer free and does not need the additional chemo. The state does not relent and tells you that if you do not comply that they will bring medical neglect charges against you. You look up the drugs they insist be pumped into your now healthy child and find out that the FDA says their safety and effectiveness in children has not been proven and that one of them may cause additional cancer and delayed cardiotoxicity.

More

Rate on 30-year mortgages jumps above 4 percent

WASHINGTON — The average U.S. rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose above 4 percent for the first time in five months. The sharp increase suggests the window to buy or refinance a home at historically low rates is closing.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan jumped to 4.08 percent, up from 3.92 percent the previous week. A month ago, it touched 3.87 percent, the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage rose to 3.30 percent, up from 3.16 percent last week and a record low of 3.13 percent two weeks ago.

Mortgage rates are rising because they tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. The economic outlook has improved in recent weeks, leading investors to shift money out of long-term U.S. Treasury bonds and into stocks. That has driven Treasury yields higher.

More

Obama In Wisconsin

Of course the major networks did not report this when he was at Master Lock!!!!!!

When O buma stopped in at Master Lock in Milwaukee Wisconsin last week, he was walking the plant and stopped to talk with a plant employee and looked up at the banner hanging on the wall and said to the worker and people around him, "It is great to be in a union shop, especially one as old as this union is " - - -
- pointing to the banner. He then said, "A Union shop since 1848" - - - and then he went on to talk on what that banner stood for and how important it was to display it and show your union support.

The worker then said to O buma that it was the flag of the State of Wisconsin - - which was founded in 1848. DUH!

This was only reported by a local radio station in Milwaukee (1130AM) and not by the major news networks - - - they didn't want to embarrass this "got no clue" President!

Obama's Education Dept. Partners With Soros

Seeks world where 'each person on Earth can contribute to sum of all knowledge'

The Department of Education has partnered with billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Institute to promote a global education initiative that seeks “a world where each and every person on Earth can access and contribute to the sum of all human knowledge.”

Education Secretary Arne Duncan kicked off a $25,000 “Why Open Education Matters” competition that will give a cash prize for the best short video explaining the benefits of what is known as Open Educational Resources, or O.E.R., for students, teachers and schools.

More

WHITE HOUSE RAISES

HMMM...17% to 86% RAISES IN SALARY FOR OBAMAS WHITE HOUSE STAFF MEMBERS!!

NO WONDER WE CAN'T HAVE A COST OF LIVING INCREASE & HE WANTS TO NOW RAISE OUR TAXES!!



SOUNDS LIKE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS REALLY LOOKING OUT FOR THE SENIORS, DOESN'T IT?

NOT!!


http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/whraises.asp

Today's Fill In The Blank 3-23-12

Mr. Preident, just once I'd like you to _______.

Thank God It's Friday 3-23-12

What will you be doing this weekend?

The Kindergarten Guitar Band

Walk With Me As I Age

A BEAUTIFUL POEM ABOUT GROWING OLDER

Sh!t...
I forgot the words...

Frédéric Bastiat

Who was he: Frédéric Bastiat was a French classical liberal theorist, political economist, legislator and member of the French assembly. Bastiat championed private property, free markets and limited government. He was the author of many economic and political economic works, which were characterized by their strong argumentation, clear organization and sharp wit. Economic Sophisms, one of his better known works, contains numerous strongly worded attacks on statist policies.

In The Law, his most famous work and a classic must-read for any free-market thinker, Bastiat revealed the idea that, through the development of a just system of laws a free society can emerge. Bastiat debated the legitimacy of interest with Pierre-Joseph Proudhon between 1849 and 1850. As editor of the Free Trade Association's newspaper, Le Libre-Exchange, Bastiat was quite effective in spreading his ideals. Bastiat established an organization in France called the French Free-Trade Association, which had successfully abolished most of France's trade barriers by 1860, a decade after Bastiat's death.

Bastiat declared that the only purpose of government is to defend the rights of life, liberty and property for an individual. He was inspired by Richard Cobden and the English Anti-Corn Law League and also worked with free-trade associations in France. Bastiat's most important contribution to economics was his stance to the effect that good economic decisions can only be made by taking the entire picture into consideration; that is, economic truths should be arrived at by observing both the immediate consequences of an economic decision and by examining the long-term consequences. In addition, one must examine the decision's effect on all people and all industries in the entirety of society.

More

Ailing Hero K-9 Gets NJ Police Salute Before Death

LINWOOD, N.J. (AP) — Ailing Rosko the K-9 got a farewell befitting a police dog who once captured a man who shot two policemen.

Officers and their K-9s from a dozen southern New Jersey departments gave the cancer-stricken Rosko a full salute Monday as he arrived at a veterinary hospital in Linwood to be euthanized.

Before being taken to the hospital, The Press of Atlantic City (bit.ly/GAeQpl) reports the 8-year-old did one last round of exercises at Atlantic County K9 academy with his partner, Atlantic City Officer Joe Rodriquez.

More

What Is President Obama So Afraid Of?

Quietly, and with little fanfare, President Obama signed a “National Defense Resources Preparedness” Executive Order on Friday. As the name suggests, the order intends to shore up the country’s national defense resources in advance of a national emergency.

To be fair, this is not the first time that such an order has been written. Presidents Bush (II), Clinton, Reagan, and even Eisenhower provided directives in the same spirit as President Obama’s order– providing some level of government commandeering in times of national emergency.

In the past, these orders have related to things like production capacity for defense contractors, or giving FEMA authority to resolve disputes between other departments in federally designated emergency areas.

President Obama’s order, however, takes things much, much further.

(1) The order vastly expands the role of Homeland Security… as if these knuckleheads didn’t already have too much influence in people’s lives. Apparently highways, shopping malls, airports, bus stations, Wal-Marts, hotels, train stations, etc. aren’t enough for DHS. Now the Secretary of DHS will:

a) “advise the President on issues of national defense resource preparedness”.

This one is really clear. Under normal circumstances, matters related to defense would fall under the Secretary of Defense… or perhaps the National Security Advisor. Giving such responsibility to DHS suggests that the government is expecting an emergency from within.

b) “provide for the central coordination of the plans and programs… under this order, and provide guidance to agencies assigned functions under this order…”

DHS now has authority to direct the emergency preparedness of every other government department. The Secretary of Homeland Security has effectively become the Emergency Czar.

c) have oversight of “all other national defense programs, including civil defense and continuity of Government.”

In case it wasn’t clear before, the people who molest children and radiate travelers will have total and complete control in some event defined as a national emergency in the sole discretion of the President.

More

FLORIDA JUDGE RULING FINDS RED LIGHT CAMERAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

A man from Pasco County, Fla., who got nabbed by a traffic camera to catch red light runners believes the camera was wrong — both in snapping his license plate and constitutionally. On the constitutional front, Thomas Filippone now has a county judge’s ruling to back him up.

The Tampa Bay Tribune reports that Filippone received a $158 traffic ticket, but he wasn’t about to pay up and be more careful with the reds next time:

“If they are going to prove I was driving the car, it’s their duty under the law to prove the identity of the driver,” said Filippone, 45, who maintains his 2002 Nissan Altima crossed the intersection a split second before the light turned red on April 15. “It unjustly shifts burden to me and makes me shoulder the burden of having to prove their case.”

More

The Ascendence Of Sociopaths In US Governance

An International Man lives and does business wherever he finds conditions most advantageous, regardless of arbitrary borders. He's diversified globally, with passports from multiple countries, assets in several jurisdictions and his residence in yet another. He doesn't depend absolutely on any country and regards all of them as competitors for his capital and expertise.

Living as an international man used to be just an interesting possibility. But few Americans opted for it, since the US used to reward those who settled in and put down roots. In fact, it rewarded them better than any other country in the world, so there was nothing pressing about becoming an international man.

Things change, however, and being rooted like a plant, at least if you have a choice, is a suboptimal strategy for surviving and prospering. Throughout history, almost every place has at some point become dangerous for those who were stuck there. It may be America's turn.

More

The Prophetic Words Of Paul Harvey From 1965

Glenn played some incredible audio this morning on the radio program of radio commentator Paul Harvey from 1965. Glenn knew Harvey, and described him as “absolutely inspired of God.”

Last night on GBTV, Glenn explained to viewers that America has crossed over into new territory. “The progressives, I believe, have realized their dream. They have taken those baby steps,” Glenn said. “It is time to stop studying progressives.”

Glenn challenged those that don’t think the progressives have accomplished their goals to “listen to the prophetic words of radio commentator Paul Harvey.”

The audio is of Paul Harvey explaining how he would destroy us [America] if he were Satan…

More

Senate Set To Approve Online Financial Disclosure For State Officials

A bill to require state lawmakers and their cabinet level appointees to post financial disclosures statements online cleared the Senate for final passage Thursday -- after spirited debate on Wednesday on amendments to apply the same requirement to county, municipal and school board officials.

More

Today's Survey Question 3-23-12

How much is your bottom line affected by higher gas prices?
A lot, A little, Not at all.

House Moves $35B Budget With Few Cuts And A Tax Hike To A Final Vote In Marathon Session

In a nearly 11-hour session, the House of Delegates fended off proposals to level fund the fiscal 2013 budget, block shifting teacher pension costs, and eliminate an income tax hike. Scores of amendments were attempted on the controversial bills, but none passed. All of the bills will go for final votes Friday or Saturday exactly as they came from their committees.

More

Epic Old Man - Senile Cashier

Tax Nightmare: What Did I Do To Deserve An Audit By The IRS?

Moaning and groaning won't make it go away when the IRS comes a'calling with an audit. Ask the auditor what you did to deserve such a terrifying experience and you'll likely be met with a shrug, or perhaps a vague reason involving some kind of forms. So really, why did they pick you?

More

Allegiant Air Returning to Hagerstown

HAGERSTOWN — Hagerstown Regional Airport is welcoming back an airline offering flights to Orlando after a nearly two-year break.

Airport officials said Thursday that Allegiant Air will resume twice-weekly flights to Sanford International Airport on May 25.

The Las Vegas-based carrier pulled out of Hagerstown in July 2010 after providing the service for about 19 months. The company cited weak demand for the flights.

The western Maryland city is also served by Cape Air, which provides federally subsidized flights to Baltimore several times a day.

Hagerstown has been served by a succession of destination-oriented carriers. The most recent was Direct Air, which ended service to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Lakeland, Fla., in August.

Source

Two Men Arrested For Having Sex With Each Other On Gay Cruise Ship

Believe it or not, a gay cruise ship might not be the ideal place to have gay sex, as two men found out when the ship was docked at an island in the Caribbean. How could that be? Well, if the country the ship is visiting just so happens to still have "buggery" on the books as illegal, your sex life could get you arrested.

More

Thomson Airways Safety Video

DOJ: AT&T Billed U.S. Gov't For Around $15 Million In Fraudulent Calls

The Dept. of Justice has filed a lawsuit against AT&T, alleging that the telecom giant billed the U.S. government for millions of dollars related to phone services intended to be used by hearing-impaired callers.

More

Reports rate Maryland low on ethics, transparency

ANNAPOLIS — In the midst of a session that has seen ethics and transparency pushed into the spotlight, two reports released this week gave the state poor rankings on both issues.

A nationwide report conducted by the State Integrity Investigation ranked Maryland 40th out of 50 states for corruption prevention, awarding the state a D- on its report card. Half the states scored D or lower.

In its explanation, the nonpartisan organization notes the state’s history of political corruption dating back to Democratic Gov. Marvin Mandel’s imprisonment for racketeering and mail fraud — a conviction later overturned — to Republican Vice President Spiro Agnew’s prosecution for bribery and tax fraud during his service as governor.

More

A Colossal Mistake Of Historic Proportions: The “JOBS” Bill

From the 1970s until recently, Congress allowed and encouraged a great deal of financial market deregulation – allowing big banks to become larger, to expand their scope, and to take on more risks. This legislative agenda was largely bipartisan, up to and including the effective repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act at the end of the 1990s. After due legislative consideration, the way was cleared for megabanks to combine commercial and investment banking on a complex global scale. The scene was set for the 2008 financial crisis – and the awful recession from which we are only now beginning to emerge.

With the so-called JOBS bill, on which the Senate is due to vote Tuesday, Congress is about to make the same kind of mistake again – this time abandoning much of the 1930s-era securities legislation that both served investors well and helped make the US one of the best places in the world to raise capital. We find ourselves again on a bipartisan route to disaster.

The Senate needs to slow down and do its job – we have two legislative bodies for a reason and the Senate’s historical role is partly to serve as a check on enthusiasms that may suddenly sweep the House. To pass this legislation on Tuesday would be a grave mistake

More

Ron Paul Against Secret Service

All major candidates for President are entitled to Secret Service protection within 120 days of a general election – but Paul is calling that a "form of welfare." That's no big surprise since Ron Paul also thinks federal aid to college students, health insurance assistance to poor people, free public roads, and cops and firefighters are welfare too. But Ron Paul shouldn't worry too much. Considering he's only running for President to get his son, Rand, a job in Romney's cabinet – Paul likely won't be considered a "major candidate" anyway.

Who's Going To Foot The Bill For Climate Change?

According to a new study out of the Stockholm Environment Institute – increasing greenhouse gases will cost over $2 trillion a year in damage to our planet's oceans by the end of the century. With warmer oceans comes greater acidification – which wipes out fisheries and coral reefs. Plus, rising sea levels and stronger storms do costly damage to coastlines. Nonetheless – we're giving tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to transnational oil corporations to accelerate climate change – rather than making them pay for the damage they're causing. This is not only irresponsible – it's outright dangerous – and means that future generations of Americans will have to cope with a much harsher planet.

HS Football Player Knocks Out Masked Man

COLUMBIA, Md. -- A man wearing a ski mask tried to assault a student at a Howard County school but got knocked out himself.

Howard County schools spokeswoman Patti Caplan said Long Reach High School was dismissing students Wednesday when the man arrived on campus. Caplan said the man tried to assault a student, a junior on the school's football team, but missed. The football player punched the man, knocking him out.

The 29-second video viewed by hundreds of thousands on WorldStarHipHop.com shows teachers and school staff quickly descending upon the scene to contain the situation. The man was seen on the ground, but he ultimately left the school grounds.

"I think it's ridiculous that an adult would come up and have a confrontation with a student. That's something that should be taken up with the parents or the staff here at the school," said Cathy Geipe, a parent

More

The Department Of Justice Says Florida Is Discriminating Against Minority Voters

Last year, Florida passed a new that clamps down on people helping others to register to vote, and also cuts back on early voting. But the Civil Rights division of the Justice Department is now filing a challenge to the new law in court, claiming that Florida failed to prove that these election law changes will not, "deny or abridge the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group." States with a history of rical discrimination – like Florida – must have any changes to their election laws approved by the Justice Department. Time - and the courts - will tell if Governor Rick Scott's plan to keep minority voters away from the polls this year works.

American Women Are Screwed

Putting aside the Republican's war on women for a moment – a new report from the National Women's Law Center reveals that health insurance companies are charging women in America an extra billion dollars annually, and it's just good old fashioned gender discrimination. The report finds that the practice of for-profit health insurers charging women more than men for identical coverage is widespread – and states are doing little to stop the rip-off. In the states that don't ban health insurance gender discrimination, 92% of the best-selling plans charge women more than men. President Obama's Affordable Care Act would ban this practice nationally – saving women a billion dollars a year. Unfortunately for women – Republicans are working as hard as they can to repeal Obamacare.

Delaware Lawmakers Eye Bill On Voting By Felons

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Delaware lawmakers are considering a constitutional amendment aimed at making it easier for convicted felons to vote.

A bill to be considered by the House on Thursday would amend the state constitution to eliminate the five-year waiting period before eligible felons who have fully completed their sentences could have their voting rights restored.

The proposed amendment would have to pass two consecutive general assemblies before it could become law.

Source

PELOSI DEFENDS OBAMACARE USING… DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Did you know the president’s controversial health care law helps guarantee “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” That’s what Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor on Wednesday.

“I appreciate [my colleague's] leadership on helping us honor what our founders put forth in our founding documents, which is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Pelosi told her colleagues, citing the Declaration of Independence. “And that is exactly what the Affordable Care Act helps to guarantee.”

She wasn’t done.

“A healthier life, the liberty to pursue happiness, free of the constraints that lack of healthcare might provide to a family,” she said. “If you want to be photographer, a writer, an artist, a musician, you can do so. If you what to start a business, if you want to change jobs, under the Affordable Care Act, you have that liberty to pursue your happiness.”

More including video HERE

O’Malley Wants State To Buy Annapolis Post Office

Gov. Martin O’Malley has budgeted $3.6 million to buy the historic Annapolis post office at Church Circle, but a report by the Department of Legislative Services calls the building a bad investment.

The stately brick structure was constructed in 1901 and expanded in the 1930s. It is nestled next to the James and Miller Senate office buildings, and backs up to the Treasury Building.
“Given the scarcity of land in this particular area, we thought it made sense,” said Matt Gallagher, the governor’s chief of staff.

But earlier this month, the Department of Legislative Services told legislators the purchase would be a poor investment, as the building is small and needs a great deal of work.

More

O’REILLY PRODUCER INTERVIEWS SPRING BREAK STUDENTS ON OBAMA — HILARITY ENSUES

Adam Smith is the father of “layez fair” economics. The unemployment rate is “99 percent.” And the debt is “like 17 gazillion.”

Those are just some of the brilliant comments Fox producer Jesse Watters got when he went down to Panama City, FL to interview college students on spring break about Barack Obama. Stuff like this never gets old:

Video Here

Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Releases 3-23-12

Incident: Possession of Marijuana
Date of Incident: 20 March 2012
Location: 1200 block of N. Salisbury Blvd., Salisbury, MD
Suspect: David A. Daniels, 21, Delmar, MD

Narrative: On 20 March 2012 at 4:29 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle in the 1200 block of N. Salisbury Blvd. Upon approaching the driver and sole occupant, David Daniels, the deputy detected the odor of marijuana emanating from within the vehicle. The deputy searched the vehicle and located a pill container that held what the deputy recognized as marijuana. A smoking device was also located.

The deputy placed Daniels under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Daniels on Personal Recognizance.
Charges: Possession of Marijuana
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Incident: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
Date of Incident: 21 March 2012
Location: East Church Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Daniel Reid Armstrong, 22, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 21 March 2012 at 1:16 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office observed a vehicle speeding and swerving erratically while travelling through Salisbury. The deputy stopped the vehicle after it turned onto E. Church Street from Salisbury Blvd and identified the driver as Daniel Armstrong. The deputy observed that the vehicle pulled up onto the curb upon stopping. During the initial contact, the deputy detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the vehicle. Upon exiting the vehicle the deputy observed that Armstrong was swaying and speaking in a slurred speech.

After field sobriety testing, the deputy placed Armstrong under arrest. A breath sample was obtained which confirmed that Armstrong was over the legal limit. Armstrong was released upon the issuance of citations.
Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Per Se.

Incident: Vandalism
Date of Incident: 19-20 March 2012
Location: Delmar – Hebron area
Suspect: Pending

Narrative: On 20 March 2012 the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into a series of vandalisms to multiple mailboxes in the Hebron and Delmar areas. Investigation uncovered mailboxes in the Waller Road and Quantico Road area that had been damaged, presumably during the overnight hours.

Anyone with any information about this crime or the identity of the perpetrators is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 410-548-4890 or Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776.
Charges: Malicious Destruction of Property

Police To Drivers: Move Over Or Get Ticketed

BALTIMORE -- The Maryland State Police are reminding drivers of the state's Move Over law after two law enforcement officers have been hit by drivers recently.

The law, which was enacted in October 2010, says motorists have to move to another lane if they can when emergency vehicles are working on the side of the road, including when an officer pulls over a driver for a traffic violation.

"The law requires drivers to move over and help create a barrier for police and firefighters. If traffic does not allow drivers to move over, it requires them to slow down," Trooper Thaddeus Allen said.

More

SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

MARCH 26, 2012 6:00 p.m.
Government Office Building Room 301

Times shown for agenda items are estimates only.

6:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER
6:01 p.m. WELCOME/ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:06 p.m. INVOCATION/MEDITATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
6:08 p.m. SPECIAL PRESENTATION
6:18 p.m. ADOPTION OF LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
6:20 p.m. CONSENT AGENDA – Acting City Clerk Kim Nichols
 February 24, 2012 open session minutes
 February 24, 2012 closed session minutes (separate envelope)
 February 27, 2012 closed session minutes (separate envelope)
 February 27, 2012 regular meeting minutes
 March 5, 2012 special meeting minutes
 Resolution No. 2151 – appointment of William J. Powell to the Marina Committee
6:25 p.m. AWARD OF BIDS – Assistant Internal Services Director - Procurement Catrice 2
Parsons
 Change Order #4 to Contract RFP17-08 Parkside High School Lift Station
6:30 p.m. RESOLUTIONS – City Administrator John Pick
 Resolution No. 2152 - designating the City of Salisbury as Sustainable Communities Area and adopting the Sustainable Communities Plan
 Resolution No. 2153 - Accepting WNTIF grant for the Salisbury Police Department
 Resolution No. 2154 - Accepting OCTDETF grant for the Salisbury Police Department
6:45 p.m. ORDINANCES – City Attorney Mark Tilghman
 Ordinance No. 2195 – 2nd reading - FY12 budget amendment to appropriate the funds received from LGIT for damage incurred by a lightning strike to the Salisbury Zoo’s telephone and Internet systems
 Ordinance No. 2196 - 1st reading - FY12 budget amendment – LGIT proceeds for (2) portable radios for the Fire Department
7:00 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS
7:15 p.m. ADJOURNMENT